Part 22 (2/2)

”You should have entered warp when you had the chance, Spock. You should have fled.” Looking toward tactical, he raised his voice. ”Sight target for final destruction and fire.” fire.”

Spock's s.h.i.+p was far more advanced than any vessel he had ever served upon, seen, or studied, but it was not from a thousand years in the future and it was not immune to equally sophisticated and no less deadly weapons. Particularly when those weapons were fired on it in multiples. One of the first lessons students in warfare were taught was that club plus force plus trajectory achieves the same totality of death as a properly aimed phaser burst.

”Warning,” the s.h.i.+p announced in deceptively calm tones, the s.h.i.+p announced in deceptively calm tones, ”all s.h.i.+elds off-line.” ”all s.h.i.+elds off-line.”

This was it, then, he knew. The end. But not the end just for him. He steeled himself. At such moments logic and reason offered a great comfort that was unknown to all but a few humans who found themselves trapped in similar circ.u.mstances.

”Computer, prepare to execute General Order Thirteen.”

”General Order Thirteen,” it repeated. it repeated. ”Self-destruct sequence confirmed.” ”Self-destruct sequence confirmed.”

Strange, he mused, how the computer and he sounded so much alike.

”Execute,” he finished with hesitation as he redirected the s.h.i.+p's course.

Straight back toward the pursuing Narada. Narada.

Their quarry's abrupt reversal of direction did not go unnoticed on board the Romulan wars.h.i.+p. There was pandemonium as tactical, science, and the helm fought to react appropriately. Somehow, the Vulcan s.h.i.+p managed to avoid every weapon that was flung in its direction. Nero's second-in-command wasn't worried about the damage a collision might cause. The Narada Narada was large enough to overcome such an impact. was large enough to overcome such an impact.

There was, however, the not-insignificant matter of a certain quant.i.ty of the galaxy's most volatile known substance being held in stasis on board the Vulcan vessel. And the two s.h.i.+ps were too close for evasive action to be taken, so that...

It was a great relief when, an instant later, one of the numerous torpedoes the Romulan wars.h.i.+p had unleashed struck home and the Vulcan craft was blown to bits.

XVIII

Pressure. Heat. The machinery on board the smaller vessel that sustained the stasis sh.e.l.l collapsed under the force of both. Driven inward by the intensity of the torpedo explosion, within nanoseconds they compacted the contents of the inner containment bubble, forcing it in upon itself.

Igniting that which lay within.

A tiny anomaly appeared in s.p.a.ce. It was pure luck that when it was created it was on a trajectory that would take it out of the solar system on a course nearly perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. It would not pa.s.s by any of the eight planets-which meant that said planets would remain intact.

Anything caught in its immediate vicinity, however...

”Full reverse course!” Nero was screaming as an expanding darkness blacker than s.p.a.ce itself appeared on the viewscreen. ”Get us away-now, now! Prepare to engage warp drive!”

”Warp drive activating, Captain,” the helm reported. ”Warp one in four-three...”

The Narada Narada shuddered violently. Crew members found themselves thrown from their chairs. Throughout the great s.h.i.+p longitudinal rips lacerated her hull as phaser bursts tore through the superstructure. Crew members barely had time to wail in despair as they were sucked out into s.p.a.ce. One blast after another tore at her components, her weapons systems, her engines. As her wild-eyed commander struggled to retain his seat, the cause of the devastating and unexpected disruptions was revealed on another screen. shuddered violently. Crew members found themselves thrown from their chairs. Throughout the great s.h.i.+p longitudinal rips lacerated her hull as phaser bursts tore through the superstructure. Crew members barely had time to wail in despair as they were sucked out into s.p.a.ce. One blast after another tore at her components, her weapons systems, her engines. As her wild-eyed commander struggled to retain his seat, the cause of the devastating and unexpected disruptions was revealed on another screen.

Fully occupied in the pursuit of Spock's vessel as it reached the vicinity of Saturn, its crew and tactical arm had failed to notice the appearance of another s.h.i.+p behind it as it had risen from within the distorting depths of t.i.tan's atmosphere.

It was possible possible there was someone on board the there was someone on board the Enterprise Enterprise who was not at that moment fully engaged in one critical task or another, but only among the wounded in sickbay. Every other member of the crew was on station, their entire being devoted to a particular task at hand. Tactical was engaged in pouring as much debilitating fire into the Romulan wars.h.i.+p as possible while the helm controllers undertook a ferocious combination of evasive and a.s.saulting actions. who was not at that moment fully engaged in one critical task or another, but only among the wounded in sickbay. Every other member of the crew was on station, their entire being devoted to a particular task at hand. Tactical was engaged in pouring as much debilitating fire into the Romulan wars.h.i.+p as possible while the helm controllers undertook a ferocious combination of evasive and a.s.saulting actions.

Nowhere was activity as frenetic as in the main transporter room, where a focused Montgomery Scott was directing two equally perilous and life-threatening actions at the same time. It was not an impossible feat to pull off, but it was difficult enough to make everyone involved sweat profusely despite the presence of fully functional climate control.

A figure began to materialize on one of the transporter pads. As it started to flicker dangerously, Scott's attention darted from platform to instrumentation to those a.s.sisting him.

”Hold it, hold it,” he muttered tensely. ”Full power-now!” At the same time as the first shape began to solidify, two more started to appear. Fingers raced over controls as telltales on the main console flashed warningly. The second pair of silhouettes began to steady. Off to one side Uhura looked on apprehensively while McCoy and a full medical team stood by in case their skills were needed. Despite the new chief engineer's evident expertise, the doctor was not optimistic. But then, whenever a transporter was in use, he never was.

The three shapes tightened, opaqued, and began to take on the appearance of something more substantial than refulgent hopes. Spock was the first to be recognized. From Uhura's throat there emerged a small sound that McCoy would forever keep private. Then the other two figures steadied and he was able to identify both-Kirk and Pike.

Rapidly regaining full control of his neuromuscular system, Kirk was the first to step off the platform and congratulate the engineer.

”Nice timing.” He looked to his left. ”I'm beginning to think you could beam anything from any place to anywhere, Mister Scott, if only someone gave you the right coordinates.”

The engineer stood a little taller. ”Never beamed two targets from two places onto the same pad before. And both targets in motion, at that. Have to try it one day with something smaller and more stable over a greater distance. A bottle o' fine malt whiskey, for example.”

Kirk grinned. ”I hope you get the opportunity-Scotty.” He turned. ”Captain?”

As the seriously weakened Pike finally gave in to exhaustion, Kirk caught him as he slumped forward. The medical team took over immediately. Playing a scanner over the captain's barely conscious form, McCoy barked orders to a senior medtech.

”We're gonna need neurogenic stimulators and”-he made a face as his scanner locked onto a small dark shape pressed tightly against the captain's spine-”cord sheath protection. Let's prep him for surgery. We're gonna have to do repair, rejuve, and and an extraction at the same time.” an extraction at the same time.”

As the other two just-transported arrivals headed for the bridge, the briefest of glances was exchanged between the Enterprise' Enterprise's science officer and its communications chief. No one noticed it but Kirk. Varying from the sly to the snide, several suitable comments took shape in his mind. Ultimately, he voiced none of them.

Like lightning, maturity can strike anyone unexpectedly and at the most peculiar moments.

On board the Narada Narada the situation was degenerating with a rapidity that made it impossible for its personnel, dedicated and highly skilled as they were, to keep up. It was not their fault. Confronted with not one but two potentially deadly unexpected events, even the best of crews could not have coped any better. the situation was degenerating with a rapidity that made it impossible for its personnel, dedicated and highly skilled as they were, to keep up. It was not their fault. Confronted with not one but two potentially deadly unexpected events, even the best of crews could not have coped any better.

Unfortunately for those on board the Romulan wars.h.i.+p, rapidly worsening circ.u.mstances suggested their best was not going to be good enough.

Another phaser blast struck home, jolting the bridge violently. Vital instrumentation began to go dark, only some of which was compensated for by the activation of auxiliaries or backup. Discharges flared from consoles even as their operators sought to sustain their functions. On one side of the bridge, fire broke out, consuming not only instruments but precious atmosphere.

”Captain,” the communications officer shouted, ”it's the Enterprise Enterprise!”

”Activate all weapons systems and raise s.h.i.+elds!” Nero directed.

The officer fought to stay seated at his station, his eyes widening as he struggled to reconcile the information his console was providing with the Narada' Narada's rapidly shrinking list of options.

”Engines using all our power, sir!” As he turned toward his captain, his expression was one of desperation and despair. ”If we divert to s.h.i.+elds we'll be drawn into the new singularity.” Checking his readouts, he saw numbers that continued to fall steadily despite the best efforts of the Narada' Narada's drive. ”We're barely maintaining position as it is!”

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